After seeing a few of their later works a few months back, there was the decision to revisit some of Soyuzmultfilm's older work and also watch a selection of some not seen before. 1969's 'Umka' was one example of the latter, somehow it was not familiar to me at all until recently when stumbling upon it by chance. Which is very surprising as this is the kind of work of theirs that appeals to me the most, the very simple but very charming and emotional ones.
'Umka' is a must watch and am still kicking myself at how it took me so long to see it. It may not be one of Soyuzmultfilm's most ambitious works, one of the ones adapting famous Soviet stories and family literature, ones revolving around pre-existing music or ones that have a political emphasis. It is as said above one of the Soyuzmultfilm efforts to keep things simple and all the better for it. It is a shame that 'Umka' isn't better known than it is, it really does deserve to be and to me it is among the studio's best works. And this is coming from a big fan of most of their output.
For one thing, 'Umka' looks absolutely beautiful. The traditional animation is very beautifully rendered, the colours and backgrounds are elegant, moving very smoothly from one frame/scene to the next, and the characters move very convincingly. The music accompanies the story very sensitively, the distinctive Soviet style of it is sumptuous and not overpowering. The most famous aspect of 'Umka' is the song "She-Bear's Lullaby", which is absolutely sublime in all senses.
It's extremely well written too and target audience doesn't come into question. It isn't hard to follow while also not being simplistic, making it ideal for people of all ages. It also flows well, when seeing it with English subtitles it's quite poetic and meaningful as well without going overboard on the schmaltz.
The story is immensely charming and tenderly told, there is a very strong emotional core here while not being over-sentimental or too serious. It is also genuinely sweet without being sugary, complete with some very relevant and relatable values. All the characters are engaging and have personalities that aren't too thin and are easy to identify with.
Concluding, truly beautiful and couldn't be recommended more highly enough. 10/10
